Mammillaria aurisaeta

No.45 Mammillaria aurisaeta (Zehnder N0.Z8)
Original reference:- Curt Backeb&rg, 'Die Cactaceae', Vol.6, p.3892.
Body:- The specimens seen have solitary bodies up to 3 cm. in diameter, with watery sap.
Tubercles ara arranged in 8 and 13 spirals, are dull green and are slim club shaped with oblique blunt tops and up to 7 mm. long.
The axils have short loose white wool with several twisted white hair (very fine hairy bristles), extending beyond the ends of the tubercles. Areoloe's having yellowish-whits wool when young.
Radial spines about 8 (-10), to 12 mm, long, bulbous at the base. Near to the bottom of the areole there are hair bristles, to 5-7 mm. long.
Central spines mostly absent; on rare occasions one central spine, about 1 cm. long, appears later. All spines are yellow or brown in colour, or
the tip yellow brown, bristly, elastic, little flexible, otherwise breakable.
The radial spines, and the central when present, are bulbous at the base, but this is not so in the case of the secondary spines at the base of the areoles.
Flower:- About 14 mm. in diameter, perianth margin entire, white with reddish midline.
Fruit:- Coral red, 2 cm. long, 6-7 mm. thick.
Type Locality:- Mexico (Zacetecas, on hills in rock crevices devoid of vegetation).
Notes:- This species differs from several others of the same general type by the twisted long hair bristles situated at the base of each areole and by the long interwoven axillary bristles. Clearly, it is a desirable species and since seed has become available recently from a continental sourde, plants should follow in due course, The availability of this seed will enable the description to be completed; Backeberg made no mention of it.
From "The Journal of the Mammillaria Society" Vol.VI n.3 June 1966






Mammillaria aurisaeta
Referred to Mammillaria picta ssp. picta

















Mammillaria aurisaeta